JEWISH RESISTANCE TO THE GOSPELBy David N. Brickner

Paper presented to the Evangelical Missiological SocietySanta Clara CA, November 20-22, 1997Copyright © 1997 by David N. Brickner

INTRODUCTION

An oft told joke within the Jewish community opens with four Russian Jews on atrain. It seems that each one has converted to Christianity. The first says that hechanged his religion to escape persecution. The second explains how hedesperately wanted to attend the university, and since Jews were not admitted hebecame a Christian. The third tells how he fell madly in love with a beautifulgentile who would not have him unless he converted. The fourth says, “I becamea Christian because I saw the light and was convinced that it was true,” to whichthe other three disdainfully respond, “Tell that to your gentile friends.”

That joke reflects a deep seated truth; that within the Jewish community it isdeemed unthinkable that a well informed Jew could actually believe the gospel. Infact, Jewish resistance to the gospel is so deeply entrenched that one who pretendsto be a Christian in order to escape censure or receive benefits is still lesscontemptible than one who actually claims to believe that Jesus is the son of God.

Celebrated Yiddish linguist Leo Rosten gives a definition for the Jewish peoplewhen he quotes the anonymous saying, “Jewish people are just like everyone else. . . . only more so.”1 Jewish resistance to the gospel certainly fits this definition.Jews are certainly not the only people to resist the gospel, yet my Jewish peoplehave the longest history of opposition to the gospel, as well as the bestdocumented, most prolific and comprehensively strategic opposition to theChristian message of any people group.

In approaching the subject of Jewish resistance to the gospel, I intend to deal withfoundational as well as strategic factors. By foundational factors, I mean thehistorical, spiritual and social issues that contribute to Jewish resistance. Bystrategic factors, I am referring to the well-defined efforts by Jewish communityleaders to perpetuate resistance to the gospel. Finally, I would like to suggestappropriate Christian responses to Jewish resistance.

1 Rosten, Leo. The Joys of Yiddish (New York: McGraw Hill, 1968), p. xxxix.

I. FOUNDATIONAL FACTORS

Many writers of material on “resistance and receptivity” focus on sociologicalfactors. Many missiologists limit the role of theology: they allow the Bible to saywhy it is important to go into all the world and preach the gospel, but they rarelyconsult it concerning the manner in which to proceed. Missiology should be aninterdisciplinary study between theology and the social sciences. The Bible notonly defines our imperatives, it also provides the foundational understanding ofreceptivity. It is through that theological grid that we must interpret the data ofthe social sciences and develop a strategic response.

A. SPIRITUAL

As I minister in churches on behalf of Jews for Jesus, many Christians ask me,“Why don’t more of your people believe in Jesus when he is presented so clearlyin their own Bible. Can’t they just read Isaiah 53?” Yet a more biblically informedposition recognizes that fallen human nature rebels against God. Rather thanexpressing surprise at those who reject the gospel, we, like the disciples might wellexclaim , “Who then can be saved?” (Matthew 19:25b, emphasis supplied) TheBible teaches us that the most pressing reasons to resistance the gospel arespiritual. This is true for Jews and gentiles alike. Humanity’s sinful condition iswhat made the gospel necessary, and it is also the condition that causes people toresist the gospel.

Sin is not merely our outward failure to resist one temptation or another. It is theingrained reality of every human soul. Ever since Adam and Eve sinned in theGarden of Eden, all of humanity has been shaking its fist at the heavens, declaringto God, “We will not have you rule over us.” The rabbis reject the doctrine oftotal depravity, citing it as one of the differences between Jewish and Christiantheology, Yet it is a Jewish doctrine from the standpoint that the sinfulness of thehuman condition is clearly taught in the Jewish Scriptures:“The Lord looks down from heaven on humankind to see if there are any “whoare wise, who seek after God. They have all gone astray, they are all alike...perverse; there is no one who does good, no not one.” (Psalm 14:2-3) “the heartis devious above all else; it is perverse - who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9)

It should come as no surprise that any people, including the Jews, resist thegospel. Jesus Himself experienced in his own body the full force of rejection byhis own people. He did not cry out in amazement, “What’s wrong with youpeople? Don’t you know who I am? Can’t you just read Isaiah 53?” As He weptover Jerusalem, He cried out, “Oh, Jerusalem who kills the prophets and stonesthose who are sent to her.” He did not see His own rejection as an isolated eventin the history of Israel, but as the culmination of a long history of resistance andrejection of the messengers of God. The Apostle Paul understood this when hedeclared that “the man without the spirit does not accept the things that comefrom the spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him and, he cannot understand

them, because they are spiritually discerned.” (1st Corinthians 2:14). There is nodifference between Jews and Gentiles when it comes to the sinfulness of thehuman heart, which is the first and primary reason for Gospel resistance.

We must also recognize the place of satanic deception in Gospel resistance. TheApostle John declared, “We know that we are of God and the whole world is inthe power of the evil one.” (1st John 5:19) The Apostle Paul referred to Satan’srole in deceiving individuals with regard to the Gospel when he said, “the god ofthis world has blinded the minds of unbelievers to keep them from seeing thelight of the Gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the likeness of God.” (2 Cor. 4:4)

All too often, we give mere lip service to this spiritual reality. We fail to include aproper awareness of spiritual power in our evangelistic strategy. I believe that theJewish people are the particular target of satanic attack. Ever since Abram left Urof the Chaldees, his descendants, the Jews, have been a people of destiny. Andthat destiny has been wrapped up with the supernatural. God elected to conveyHis truth to the world through the Jews. “Salvation is of the Jews.” (John 4:22)No wonder the enemy of God has, throughout history, attempted to destroy theJewish people.

The very integrity of God, the trustworthiness of the Bible, and the futurepromises concerning world redemption will be demonstrated, not only throughthe survival of the Jewish people but through their salvation in Christ. (Romans11:12 & 15) That is why, “With every fiber of his depraved sinister being, Satandespises the Jews. He hates them with a perfect hatred. Their total destruction ishis goal. He is the author of the spirit of anti-Semitism. There is no other way toexplain the venomous hostility that has been directed against the Jews by so manypeople and so many countries for so many years.”2 As we consider the spiritualfactors of Jewish resistance to the gospel, we cannot afford to underestimate thespecial attention the adversary pays to God’s ancient people. It takes the power ofthe Holy Spirit to come against the power of the unholy spirit.

There is a third spiritual factor that we must confess is a mystery, though theScriptures speak openly of it. There exists a special blindness, unique to the Jewishpeople. Paul, himself, calls it a mystery when he says, “I do not want you to beignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel hasexperienced a hardening in part until the full number of the gentiles have comein.” (Romans 11:25) The veil is a scriptural metaphor for this hardening: “Even tothis day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyoneturns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.”

This hardening of the Jews remains a mystery, but must be factored into ourunderstanding of Jewish resistance to the gospel. Some missiologists and pastors 2 Brown, Michael. Our Hands Are Stained with Blood. Shippensburg, PA: Destiny ImagePublishers, 1992, p. 155.

have concluded that Jewish evangelism is not a primary concern at this time. Onewell known pastor said, “I don’t have a great burden for Jewish evangelism. Ibelieve that God will evangelize them when He is ready. In the meantime, Godhas poured out His grace, His spirit upon the gentiles and thus I like to fish wherethe fish are biting. I really feel that for the most part [Jewish evangelism] is awaste of church finances that can be better used to evangelize the gentiles at thistime.”3

In light of this Divine hardening, perhaps we should apply to Jewish evangelism,esteemed missiologist Donald McGavran’s suggestion to, “hold lightly” the workin resistant fields.4 But there is a danger of misconstruing what the Scripturesteach regarding Jews and Jewish evangelism. Paul describes the hardening aspartial and temporary. Yes, there is an eschatological element to consider withrespect to the receptivity of the Jewish people as a whole, but meanwhile, Paulaffirms that the veil can be lifted from individuals when “they turn to the Lord.”Paul did not “hold lightly” to Jewish evangelism. Despite his own calling to thegentiles and despite his several pronouncements that, “from now on I will go tothe gentiles” (Acts 18:6), Paul maintained a fundamental commitment to theprimacy of Jewish evangelism (Romans 1:16).

Paul recognized that God had preserved a remnant according to the election ofgrace. (Romans 11:5) This understanding of the continuing remnant must shapeour thinking with regard to Jewish evangelism, especially in the face of Jewishresistance to the gospel. If our goal were to see the majority of Jews accept Christnow, then I would agree with Chuck Smith that the church had better concentrateon evangelizing gentiles. But we must remember that humanity in general willnot accept the gospel en masse, (small is the gate and narrow the road that leadsto life, and only a few find it. Matthew 7:14) Unless we apply this biblicalunderstanding to our theories of gospel resistance, we will inevitably wring ourhands and despair of the task. Instead, we can rejoice with the angels that God isindeed saving some. We certainly see this in Jewish evangelism today. Thoughthe level of official resistance is greater than ever and though the strategies toprevent a gospel witness among the Jewish people abound, we are still seeingJewish people receive the gospel. In fact, more Jews today coming to faith inChrist than at any time since perhaps the first century when those first Jews forJesus, Peter, James and John were preaching the gospel.

Our understanding of Jewish resistance to the gospel requires an awareness ofspiritual factors but there are other factors to consider.

3 From a transcription of a radio message by Chuck Smith (Calvary Chapel, Costa Mesa CA) onKFAX, December 30, 1992.4 “Correct policy is to occupy field of low receptivity lightly....Resistant lands should be heldlightly.” McGavran, Donald A. Understanding Church Growth, rev. ed. (Grand Rapids:Eerdmans, 1980), p. 262.

B. HISTORICAL

Jewish history is replete with persecution in the name of Christ. It has been saidthat the sad saga of Jewish-Christian relations could be written in blood andpunctuated with violence. It is not the purpose of this paper to catalog this historybut certainly a few examples are in order. Czar Nicholas I ordered conscription inthe Russian army: 25 years for all boys, unless they happened to be Jews. Jewswere to serve for 31 years for all Jews. Those extra six years were designed toconvert Jewish boys to Russian Orthodoxy.5 One account of Czar Nicholas 1 tellshow a group of Jewish children were brought to the Volga River to be baptized--and at the command of Nicholas, all were plunged under, never to come backup.”6

The Crusades, although not aimed specifically at Jews, provide another poignantexample of persecution in the name of Christ. The Crusaders, upon reaching thecity of Jerusalem, found that the Moslem invaders had passed on through and allthat was left were a defenseless group of Orthodox Jews. They rounded up thoseJews into the great synagogue and then burned it to the ground. As the peopleinside perished, those outside marched round and round with their crosses,singing “Christ We Adore Thee.”7

These and other shocking historical facts appear as a mere blip on the screen ofmost people’s understanding of history. Yet, for Jewish people, these facts arehuge on the horizon of Jewish-Christian relations. These and so many otherhistorical facts that show Jews suffering at the hand of Christians are thecornerstone upon which Jewish historical identity is based.

Jewish people do not distinguish between those who call themselves Christiansand those who actually practice the Christian faith. Most Jews have concludedthat Jewish survival is based upon their own historic resistance to the Christianflood. Christian mission is seen as synonymous with persecution and anti-Semitism. From most Jewish people’s understanding, there are two types ofpeople . . . the Jews and the Christians. “Christian” has become synonymous withnon-Jews who have persecuted Jewish people throughout the ages.

Therefore, Willie Mays, Billy Graham, Adolph Hitler, and the Pope all fall into thesame category. They are Christians. 5 Sachar, Howard Morley. The Course of Modern Jewish History , Updated and ExpandedEdition (New York: Delta, 1977), pp. 86-87.6 Ibid. Sachar’s wording suggests that this may have been a suicide chosen in preference toconversion.7 Rausch, David, A Legacy of Hatred: Why Christians Must Not Forget the Holocaust (Chicago:Moody Press, 1984), p. 27. Rausch cites Hans Eberhard Mayer, The Crusades (tr. JohnGillingham; New York: Oxford University Press, 1972, pp. 99-100).

C. SOCIAL

The third foundational factor in Jewish resistance to the gospel is social. Issues ofindividual and group identity have a profound bearing on Jewish resistance to thegospel. This is where the more recent theories of resistance and receptivity aremost helpful. Jewish people are rooted and grounded in the biblical narrative, yetthe historical split between synagogue and church has led to a highly developedsocial identity within the Jewish community. The leaders of this community havedesigned this identity to provide plenty of cultural distance between the Christianchurch and the Jewish community.

In speaking of Japanese resistance to the gospel message, Peter Lundell introducesthe concept of “Nihonkyo.” The concept actually speaks to one’s ultimate loyalty.That loyalty is not to a particular belief or even to a nation, “but rather to one’sidentity and obligations as a Japanese person.”8 Similarly, there is an expectationof loyalty on the part of individual Jews despite their religious convictions. Part ofthat loyalty is defined as not believing in Jesus.

Jewishness is defined broadly within the Jewish community. It is a fact of birth, aproduct of social development, education and identification, and lastly, a matter ofreligious affiliation. Yet when it comes to the specifics of Jewish identity, even theleaders of the community disagree. In fact, the question of who is a Jew is one ofthe most hotly contested issues in the State of Israel today. Israel is a largelysecularized state, but the religious minority has a very prominent voice.

The majority of Jews in Israel and elsewhere minimize the religious aspect ofidentity. That is Jewish identity broadly defined. But there is a more narrowdefinition of Jewish identity that is widely accepted, a definition that gives theappearance of religious or spiritual content. That definition amounts to identityby negation. “We are Jews because we don’t believe in Jesus.” “We are Jewsbecause we celebrate Passover, not Easter.” “We are Jews because we celebrateHanukkah, not Christmas.”

Because Jewish identity comes in the form of a negation which precludes faith inChrist, resistance to the gospel is a given. It is an indoctrination that comes withmother’s milk. Montgomery rightly points out that, “receptivity toward anoutside religion will be low if adherence to it is regarded as bringing about a senseof loss of a valued aspect of social identity, such as ethnic or national identity andperhaps a religious identity closely associated with them.... Becoming attached to a 8 Lundell, Peter. “Behind Japan’s Resistant Web: Understanding the Problem of Nihonkyo”Missiology: An International Review 23:4 (October 1995), p. 409.

religion, coming from the outside, is perceived as rejecting one’s own ethnicgroup or cultural heritage.”9

Christians need to know that Jewish people do not see Jewish believers in Jesus asthose who have followed their convictions. They see Jewish believers in Jesus astraitors to themselves, their family, their people . . . they see them as traitors totheir very survival. And survival is paramount in the Jewish community.

The facts of Jewish history have combined with the forces of secularization totransform Judaism into a religion of survival. Preservation of Jewish identity hasbecome the highest and the only non-negotiable religious ideal. Couple that factwith the conviction that Jews cannot believe in Jesus and remain Jewish, and thesyllogism leads to the highest possible form of gospel resistance in the socialrealm.

Robert Priest rightly points out, “people refuse to convert because of theimplication that conversion is a conversion from one culture--their own, whichthey are familiar with, successful in terms of, and believe is good--to themissionary’s national culture--which is alien and may even seem immoral. Theresistance . . . may have little to do with resistance to the Holy Spirit and rejectionof Christ, and a great deal to do with allegiance to one’s own culture and society inthe face of an invitation to a disloyal conversion to an alien culture.”10

For Jews, the invitation to Christ appears to come, not from merely an alienculture, but from a culture that is perceived as hostile. Moreover, Jewish identityand faith in Jesus are considered mutually exclusive by the Jewish establishment.That means that for a Jew to accept Christ he or she must violate that part of hisor her conscience that has always accepted the equation that becoming a Christianequals betraying the Jewish people.

9 Montgomery, Robert L. “Receptivity to an Outside Religion: Light from Interaction betweenSociology and Missiology.” Missiology: An International Review 14:3 (July 1986), p. 292.10 Priest, Robert J. “Missionary Elenctics: Conscience and Culture.” Missiology: An InternationalReview 22:3 (July 1994), p. 304.

II. STRATEGIC FACTORS

Jewish community leaders recount with great passion the historical and socialfactors that help maintain the collective conscience--and the commitment toidentity by negation as described above. This leads to our second set of factors inJewish resistance to the gospel: strategic factors. These factors are highlydeveloped, well organized and intended to produce a negative commitment to theperson of Christ.

A. THEOLOGY

Many Christians assume that Judaism today is much like it was in the time ofJesus, or that Christianity and Judaism are alike except for faith in Jesus. This issimply untrue. Today’s rabbis teach a Judaism vastly different from that of Jesus’day. Contemporary Judaism is thoroughly polemical in its construct--and it wasnot constructed in a vacuum. It developed within the context of a particularchallenge: that of an emerging sect of Jews whose hearts were committed to Jesus.

With the destruction of the 2nd Temple by the Romans in 70 AD, the success ofthe Jewish Christian sect in winning converts grew at what was, for the rabbinicalauthorities, an alarming rate. Some scholars have estimated that by the turn ofthe 1st century, as many as one third of the Jews in Palestine had professed faith inChrist. Jewish authorities felt they had to do something to staunch the flow ofJews who were coming to Christ. Their efforts to deal with this have been well-documented by Jacob Jocz, James Parks and others.11 Shifts in theology havehelped to keep the Jewish religion separate from Christianity. The differences intheology are real enough, but they are rendered even more intense by falseimpressions that many Jewish people have of Christian beliefs and or practices.Following are three examples of such theological shifts in Judaism, with attendantmisunderstandings that many Jews have regarding Christian theology.

Sin: Rabbis have embraced an ethical dualism, and have established the belief thateach soul is endowed with a good inclination (yetzer ha tov) and a bad inclination(yetzer ha ra). Each person is responsible to follow the good inclination and rejectthe bad. While this emphasis on responsibility and the continual choice to dogood or evil parallels Christianity to some extent, the Jewish religion veers awayin its teaching that human beings are born morally neutral. In contrast to thedoctrine of original sin, Judaism recognizes no human condition which wouldprevent people from doing good and rejecting evil. Part of the morning liturgy 11 Jocz, Jakob. The Jewish People and Jesus Christ: The Relationship between Church andSynagogue , Third Edition (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1979; © 1949), esp. ch. 5,“Primitive Hebrew Christianity.” Also Parkes, James. The Conflict of the Church and theSynagogue: A Study in the Origins of anti-Semitism (New York: Atheneum, 1981), esp. ch. 2,“The Clash with Christianity” and ch. 3, “The Parting of the Ways.”

recited each day from the Jewish prayer book illustrates this: “O my God, the soulThou gavest me is pure; Thou didst create it, Thou didst form it, Thou didstbreathe it into me. Thou preservest it within me, and Thou wilt take it from me,but wilt restore unto me hereafter.”12 Sin is seen as individual acts, not a naturalcondition. While most Jews will admit that they have made mistakes, few wouldidentify themselves as sinners. Sinners are those who have stolen, murdered, solddrugs, etc.

Further, most Jewish people do not understand what Christians mean by originalsin. For many, it comes down to another “we” and “they” distinction. We(meaning the Jewish people) believe that people are good, created in God’s image,as the Scriptures teach. They (meaning the Christians) have little respect forhumanity; they teach that all people are evil from birth and punished forsomething that others did. The concepts that sin has marred humanity’s ability toreflect God’s image, and that God treasures humanity so much that He came tosuffer and die for our redemption are alien to most Jewish people.

Salvation: The Exodus from Egypt, or deliverance from national calamity, is theparadigm of Salvation in the Old Testament. Add to that the fact that Jewishtheologians do not believe that people are born separated from God and it is notsurprising that they don’t see a need for personal salvation. Salvation is viewed asa corporate, not personal, concern. In addition, there is the concept of tikkun olam,whereby the Jewish people see themselves in partnership with God to create abetter world. Many Jews do not believe in an afterlife, or assume that if there isone, they will naturally have a place in heaven. Christianity is viewed by many asa religion that is only concerned with what happens to people after they die.

Savior: Judaism has been forced to evolve since the destruction of the secondTemple. Prayer, repentance and good deeds have been substituted for theTemple sacrifices. Whereas Judaism was once a redemptive religion, it is now amoralistic religion. Rabbis rarely speak of atonement for sin, or how to have arelationship with God. Instead the concerns are “horizontal”-- how to treat oneanother and how to live as a good Jew. The idea that Israel needs a savior to diefor their sins is no longer part of mainstream Jewish thinking. Therefore, theresponse to the gospel might sound something like this: “Judaism teaches everyman dies for his own sins. Even if there was to be a savior, we would not worshiphim--that is idolatry.” A common misunderstanding among Jews is thatChristians believe a human being became God, rather than vice versa.

These are just a few examples of many ideas which developed in opposition toChristian teaching and ultimately Old Testament doctrine as well.

12 Hertz, Joseph H. The Authorised Daily Prayer Book, revised edition (New York: Bloch, 1961),p. 19.

B. EDUCATION

Many Jewish leaders view education as the answer to most ills within the Jewishcommunity. And since Jewish “defection” to Jesus is viewed as an “ill” manysuppose that a defective Jewish education is to blame. The answer to thisapparent defect is more rigorous education, which actually amounts toindoctrination. That indoctrination takes two forms. First, the development andstudy of literature designed to refute the New Testament. Second the use ofJewish identity and history to maintain a we/they mentality.

While local rabbi’s are entrusted with the responsibility to provide such education,their efforts are bolstered by national and international organizations. Groupslike the Jewish Community Relations Council Task Force on Missionaries andCults, Jews For Judaism and a host of other groups exist solely for the purpose ofpreventing the gospel message from penetrating the Jewish community. Whilethese organizations have limited personnel actively involved in “anti-missionarywork” they provide resources for rabbis, parents and other educators to refuteChristian evangelistic efforts.

This kind of organized opposition is not a recent phenomenon. The history ofJewish polemics and refutation literature is as old as the Talmud itself. Onerefutation document which is still in use is a 16th century document entitled “FaithStrengthened,” by Isaac Troki.13 Other recent attempts to discredit the gospel,such as Gerald Sigal’s little book, You take Jesus, I’ll take God,14 are moreintemperate. A tape series called, “Let’s get Biblical”15 by Rabbi Tovia Singer hasgrabbed the attention of many evangelicals simply because it has been so widelydistributed.

In evaluating this disputation literature, it is important to realize that its purpose isnot to engage Christian scholars in debate, or to persuade them to abandonChristianity. Refutation literature is a purely defensive measure, designed todiscourage Jewish people from considering the claims of Christ. In some cases,authors make honest attempts to weigh evidence and present a credible argumentagainst the gospel. More often than not, this material is characterized by suchlogical fallacies as straw men, question begging and misrepresentation of the facts.

The first line of attack is to contradict the New Testament claims that Jesus fulfilledthe Hebrew Scriptures. For example, Matthew’s Gospel quotes Isaiah 7:14,concerning the virgin birth. This is refuted as a mis-translation of the Hebrewword almah which means “young woman,” not virgin. The predicted child is saidto be the son of the prophet Isaiah.

13 New York: Ktav, 1970.14 Subtitled, “How to Refute Christian Missionaries.” Los Angeles: Hanorah Press, 1980.15 Monsey, NY: Outreach Judaism, 1995.

Attempts to identify Jesus as the suffering servant of Isaiah 53 are rejected on thebasis that they do not depict a person at all, but rather the nation of Israel. SinceIsrael is elsewhere identified as the servant, it is presumed that Isaiah is againspeaking of Israel in Isaiah 53.

A second attack on the New Testament borrows heavily from the form criticismof liberal Protestantism. These presume late dates for the authorship of thegospels, they make much of “contradictions” in the Gospel narratives and theyseek to demonstrate the roots of pagan mythology in Christian theology. Whilemany Jewish leaders echo these critics, they don’t seem to realize that the veryapproach they borrow to attack the veracity of the New Testament can be appliedto undermine the authority of the Hebrew Scriptures as well.

A further aspect of the indoctrination of gospel resistance is the notion that Jewishidentity--by definition and based on historical perspective--precludes Jesus as anoption for Jews. Some have accused Jewish leaders of fostering a “victimmentality” in the Jewish community. This mentality allows the strategic use ofshame to prevent Jewish people from considering ideas which they perceive asthe special property of those who have persecuted them.

The term “victim mentality” is problematical because to some, it implies that thevictimization is purely imagined, and this has certainly not been the case forJewish people. In fact, Jewish people have suffered enormously at the hands of socalled Christians. Nevertheless, little effort is made in the Jewish community topresent other relevant facts. Instead there has been a systematic spin on historyto create the widest chasm possible between Jews and Christians. Martin Lutherillustrates the point. This luminary of the reformation, scholar, prolific author, isknown to Jews only as the author of the book, “Concerning the Jews and theirLies.”16 This vitriolic polemic against the Jews is terrible indeed. But it is not thesum of Luther’s life and ministry. Nor is it embraced by Christians today. Yet it isdeemed all that is necessary or relevant for a Jewish understanding of Luther.And for many, it is regarded as proof that Christians and Christianity are hateful.

Another interesting distortion of history in Jewish education is the notion that theInquisition was launched by Catholics seeking to persecute Jews. In reality, theInquisition was a case of Christians persecuting other Christians.

The Holocaust has dominated the Jewish perspective of history to the point wheresome within the Jewish community are beginning to call for balance.17 Yet the 16 Dated to 1543. For a standard edition, see Sherman, Franklin, ed., Luther’s Works, vol. 47(Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1971), pp. 121-306.17 “There is almost nothing more sacred or more sensitive for Jews living in the generation afterthe Holocaust than the memory of the six million martyrs of the Nazi genocide. The poignantquestion, ‘Where was God?’, rather than being a theological provocation, is more likely areflection of the abiding pain that lingers from the staggering losses. After all, what could

horrors of the Holocaust are compounded by the inference--and often outrightaccusation--that Hitler’s diabolical plan was the logical conclusion of acceptedChristian theology. Scant attention is paid to those valiant Christians who resistedthe Nazis. Well developed and heavily funded Holocaust studies that are anintegral part of Jewish education neglect names like Bonhoeffer and Ten Boom,and the Barman declaration is virtually unheard of.

This imbalanced view of history is designed to place any consideration ofChristianity on a par with the highest form of disloyalty and betrayal of theJewish people. Honest intellectual inquiry about Christianity is impossible fromwithin the Jewish community, since the very question brings with it the specter ofthe highest form of community censure.

Further, anti-Jewish attitudes of the past are often imputed to present dayChristians. The idea that Christians hope to destroy the Jewish people byconverting them to Christianity is common. Many Christians are so horrified tolearn this that they are too intimidated to tell Jewish friends about Jesus. Thusdistorted education regarding Christians and Christianity has its desired effect.Jewish people learn prejudices regarding Christianity, and many Christians,wishing to prove those prejudices untrue, are unwilling to say anything thatmight be taken amiss by Jewish friends or acquaintances.

It is difficult to level an accusation of prejudice at the Jewish people, who havebeen the objects of so much prejudice. Nevertheless, the prejudice peopleexperience does not necessarily keep them from prejudging others. In fact,prejudice tends to be a viscous cycle, as people form judgments and poorlyinformed opinions of those whom they feel have judged them.

C. CREATING DISTANCE

This leads to the third strategic response within the Jewish community: theestrangement of vocal Christians--and particularly of Jews who believe in Jesus--fromthe Jewish community. Jews who profess faith in Christ often meet with tremendousoutrage and hostility from other Jews. Jewish community leaders do everythingpossible to encourage this outrage.

In the past Jews who professed faith in Christ were publicly excommunicated.Families held funerals for the son or daughter who had “gone astray” and theybecame social outcasts. With the secularization of the Jewish community, this occurs possibly be more important than sanctifying the memory of those who died--except ensuring afuture for those who wish to live as Jews? There is great justification for the continuing obsessionwith the Holocaust... But obsession with the Holocaust is exacting a great price. It is killingAmerica’s Jews. An obsession with victimization leaves no room for the joy of the faith and isdriving many away.” (Buchwald, Ephraim, “The Holocaust Is Killing America’s Jews,” The LosAngeles Times, April 1992.)

infrequently. Other methods of censure have been developed. Jewish Christians arelabeled meshummad which means a destroyer. The most pervasive response is forJewish leaders to simply say to the believer in Christ, “You are no longer Jewish.”Yet the weight of Jewish literature teaches that a person born Jewish can neverbecome a non Jew. It is possible to be a bad Jew, but no Jew can become a non-Jew.18

Nevertheless, the public stance of Jewish leaders is that a Jew who believes in Jesus nolonger is a part of the Jewish community.19

By ruling of the Israeli Supreme Court, December 25th, 1989 any Jew who professesfaith in Jesus Christ is no longer eligible for Israeli citizenship as a Jew under the Lawof Return. Jewish Christians are refused access to any formal Jewish communityassistance and they are denied the right to be buried in a Jewish cemetery.

Further, efforts to create as much cultural distance as possible between the Jewish andChristian communities are made by blurring the lines between social, political andtheological differences between the two. Jewish people tend to be more liberal thanmost Christians when it comes to politics and social mores. Jewish leaders make themost of those differences to present Christianity in as unappealing and alien light aspossible to Jewish people. Unfortunately, many Christians contribute to thisimpression without realizing that using religious clout to tout a particular party line 18 For example, in the Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 44a, we read: “R. Abba b. Zabda said: Eventhough (the people) have sinned, they are still (called) ‘Israel.’“ The Encyclopedia Judaica(s.v. “Jew”, 10:24) remarks that, “Throughout the ages the rabbinical authorities have beenconcerned with the problem of a person who is technically a Jew but subscribes to anotherreligion....the majority of decisors have always felt that such a person must halakhically beconsidered a Jew.” See further Robinson, Richard, “Who Was a Jew?”, pp. 33-40 in JewishIdentity and Faith in Jesus, ed. Kai Kjær-Hansen (Jerusalem: Caspari Center, 1996). Evencounter-missionaries David Berger and Michael Wyschogrod assert that a Jewish believer inJesus commits idolatry but “does not thereby cease to be a Jew, since a Jew always remains a Jew,”albeit a sinful one (Jews and “Jewish Christians” [New York: Ktav, 1978], p. 66).19 For example, consider these quotes:

“No Jewish organization, religious or secular, acknowledges the Jewishness of Messianic Jews.Furthermore, we find them to be abhorrent.... Why should these people have to masquerade asJews when their spiritual life is based upon belief in Jesus as their Christ?” (Rabbi JonathanMiller, Temple Emanu-El, letter to the editor, The Birmingham News, April 1, 1997).

“So for a Jew to say, ‘I believe in the Christian Messiah,’ is to be a Christian. That’s theequation. Any Jew who says, ‘I believe in the Christian Messiah, and I am still a Jew,’ is lying tothemselves--and it is lying to every other Christian.” (Rabbi Robert B. Lennick, GreenwichReform Synagogue, comment made at the Fifteenth National Workshop on Christian-JewishRelations, October 27-30, 1996. Source: Southern Baptist Conference press release, October 31,1996, “Phil Roberts Defends SBC Stance in Christian-Jewish Panel Session,” by Keith Hinson.

has convinced many Jews that a vote for Jesus is a vote for a political party they maynot be inclined to endorse.

D. DIALOGUE

A further strategy to protect Jewish resistance to the gospel is dialogue. WhenJewish leaders engage evangelical Christians in a dialogue, more often than not itis an attempt on the part of the Jewish community leaders to undermine theevangelical commitment to a forthright gospel proclamation. The ostensible goalof dialogue is understanding, but what Jews want Christians to understand is thatJews don’t need Jesus. The dialogues become one sided propaganda machines.

Many evangelical institutions, theologians and pastors have participated in thesedialogues with the express hope of building bridges of understanding between thetwo faith communities. But in order to do so, they must often agree to groundrules that preclude honest discussion of pertinent theological issues. Inevitably theJewish leaders tell how destructive evangelistic efforts are, how the notion thatJews need Jesus is patronizing, and how the idea that there are Jews who dobelieve in Jesus is false.

Many dialogues are thinly veiled attempts to secure from evangelical participantsstatements deploring, “deceptive practices” in evangelistic endeavors. Later on,these statements will be trumpeted as “evidence” that “mainstream evangelicals”are disavowing Messianic groups. So there is an effort to drive a wedge betweenevangelical leaders and Jewish evangelistic enterprise. What evangelical wouldn’twant to deplore deception of any kind? Yet, the specifics deceptive practices arenot clearly defined in these discussions. What Christian participants woulddiscover were they to push the point, is that the very existence of Jews whobelieve in Jesus is considered deceptive, not on the basis of what they do, butbecause the Jewish community has decided that Jews cannot believe in Jesus.Anyone who dares to contradict this decision will be labeled deceptive. Sadly,many Christians have taken their Jewish friend’s view of Jewish Christian groupswithout checking with their Jewish brothers and sisters in Christ to see if theyhave any basis in truth.

Friendships often serve as leverage in dealing with the perceived threat of Jewishevangelism. For example, a pastor will establish a friendship with the local rabbi.He grows to respect the rabbi, as well he might . . . and he enjoys having therabbi’s respect in return. As soon as this pastor invites a Jewish ministry into hischurch he receives a call from the rabbi. “I thought we were friends,” the rabbimight begin. “Perhaps you don’t realize that having a group like this one isoffensive to our community and will end up destroying the relationship you and Iare trying to build.” I don’t know how many times Jewish missionaries haveheard, “We believe in what you are doing but we can’t have you speak in ourchurch because we don’t want to jeopardize the good relationships we arebuilding with our Jewish neighbors.” True dialogue can be worthwhile, but it will

never substitute for evangelism. More often than not, it runs counter to theevangelistic mandate.

What is most telling is the resolute commitment Jewish community leaders haveto excluding Jewish Christians from the dialogue. When evangelical leaders agreeto exclude Jewish Christians from the discussions, they don’t realize that the veryintegrity of dialogue is violated in the process.20 One theological institution whichsponsored such a dialogue agreed to the demand that a Jewish Christian who wasone of their own faculty members be barred from participating in the dialogue.How sad that in an attempt to build trust between believers in Jesus and non-believers, many Christians have spurned their own brothers and sisters and havesown mistrust between believers, Jews and Gentiles within the church.

III. CHRISTIAN RESPONSES

Church history is littered with examples of wrong responses to Jews and Jewishresistance to the gospel. These wrong responses have evolved from hostility andeven violence to indifference . . . and finally to cozy compromise. There havealways been some right responses to the Jewish community, but those responsesare becoming all too rare. It is time for evangelicals to reconsider theirrelationship to the Jewish community in light of Christ’s mandate from (Mt. 28)

The growing presence of the remnant--that is, Jewish believers within the body ofChrist--should serve to encourage evangelicals that Jewish people can be won toChrist. These Jewish believers can also be a tremendous resource to the largerbody of Christ, helping Christian brothers and sisters understand how Jewishobjections to the gospel can be overcome. Evangelical churches need to utilize theknowledge and experience of such Jewish believers. Christians who respond tothe Jewish community without any regard to their own Jewish brothers andsisters in Christ are repeating the mistake some foreign missions have made infailing to consult and work through indigenous Christian leaders overseas.

Much of the “cozy compromise” that evangelicals have made with the Jewishcommunity is a direct result of what is known as dialogue. Ideally, dialogue mightafford evangelical leaders an opportunity to interact and bear testimony to Jewish 20 “Gerald Anderson, a United Methodist official with the Overseas Ministries Study Center,criticized the workshop’s leadership for refusing to include a Messianic Jew on the panel....I findan attitude toward Messianic Jews--or Hebrew Christians--that smacks of contempt, intolerance,lack of respect and theological denial.” From the Southern Baptist Conference press release,October 31, 1996, “Phil Roberts Defends SBC Stance in Christian-Jewish Panel Session,” by KeithHinson, concerning events at the Fifteenth National Workshop on Christian-Jewish Relations,October 27-30, 1996.

community leaders.21 Unfortunately, it can just as easily be used to shameChristians into silence. Christian leaders must be willing to risk the displeasure ofJewish community leaders if there is to be honest interaction with no stringsattached. Jews who believe in Jesus have traditionally been barred from thedialogue table, and evangelical leaders have been all to quick to comply. Theyneed to question why they, as Gentiles are to be accepted representatives of theChristian faith, while Jews who believe the same thing are to be excluded.Christian leaders need to stand firm and insist that a fair dialogue will include localJewish believers in Jesus, providing there are such believers in the area.

Likewise, if a rabbi tells a minister that he stands to lose the respect and friendship ofthe Jewish community by welcoming a Jewish believer in Jesus to the pulpit, thatminister needs to question the basis of the supposed respect and friendship.Ignoring, avoiding or even politely refusing to hear from Jewish believers in Jesus forthe sake of maintaining friendship with unbelievers is wrong. It is contrary toScripture, hurtful to the body of Christ and ultimately, hurtful to the Jewish peoplewho might have come to hear the gospel. Ministers who separate themselves fromJewish Christians and who eschew opportunities to tell Jewish people about Jesus outof respect and friendship for rabbis must ask themselves, how good a friend they areto the cause of Christ. He sacrificed all so that Jews and Gentiles could be saved.What sacrifices are ministers of His gospel willing to make?

Christians can rightly respond to Jewish resistance by reaching out and learning whatthey can from Jews who have embraced the gospel. Another right response toJewish resistance to the gospel is simply to publicly acknowledge the existence ofthose Jewish believers. Literature, even Christian literature, traditionally presentsJews as non-Christians. If Christian journals, magazines, even Sunday School lessons,would recognize the presence of a Jewish remnant within the church, it would be animportant step toward undermining the myth that Jews don’t believe in Jesus.

Another way to acknowledge the existence of Jewish believers is to take a positivestance toward Messianic congregations. These local congregations provide Jewishoriented institutions and houses of worship where Christ is central, but culture andcommunity remain distinctly Jewish. Christians should be supportive of thismovement whenever possible. Some questions remain to be answered and not allMessianic congregations are alike, but the ideal is worth striving for.22 In fact, the 21 See for instance Tanenbaum, Marc H., Marvin R. Wilson, A. James Rudin, eds., Evangelicals andJews in Conversation on Scripture, Theology, and History (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House,1978); Rudin, A. James and Marvin R. Wilson, eds., Wilson, Marvin R., ed. A Time to Speak: TheEvangelical-Jewish Encounter (Grand Rapids, Eerdmans; Austin, Center for Judaic-ChristianStudies, 1987).22 One of the earliest publications on messianic congregations was Goble, Phillip E., EverythingYou Need to Grow a Messianic Synagogue (South Pasadena: William Carey Library, 1974). Seealso Schiffman, Michael, Return of the Remnant: The Rebirth of Messianic Judaism (Baltimore,MD: Lederer Publications, 1992), originally entitled Return from Exile: The Re-Emergence of theMessianic Congregational Movement. The movement is young and on questions of ecclesiology and

majority of Jewish believers in Jesus worship in mainline evangelical denominations.Yet Messianic congregations do seem to meet a need for Jewish believers, particularlyas they are discovering their new identity in Christ.

From a theological perspective, certain trends within the evangelical community haveundermined the case for the Messiahship of Jesus. Old Testament scholars need toreexamine their approach to the prophetic passages as well as to those passages thatspeak of God’s covenants with Israel. Too many Christians have accepted the notionthat these covenants could somehow affect atonement for sin and personal salvationfor Jewish people when in fact God’s irrevocable promises had to do with land, theperpetuation of a people, and the reign of David’s seed. To use the covenants whichactually predict the messiah Jesus to say that Jews need not believe in Him is ironicindeed. The church needs to develop new scholarship that takes into account theJewish need for Christ, and deals with objections to His Messiahship head on.23

On a historical and sociological level, it is important for Christians to understand andto deal honestly with the horrors of anti-Semitism. Yet there must be a balancedapproach to this history. The Scriptures teach, “No longer will it be said the fathershave eaten sour grapes and the children’s teeth are set on edge.” Christians do notbear responsibility for past horrors of anti-Semitism any more than Jews today bearresponsibility for the crucifixion of Christ. Christian leaders must not be ashamed ofsins they did not commit. When they are confronted with Jewish prejudices towardthe gospel, they must be willing to refute those ideas rather than politely acceptingthem as a difference of opinion. A loving and gracious offer of friendship should beextended with integrity. This means a willingness to speak of Christ when it isconvenient and when it is not convenient, as well as a commitment to train leadersand laymen alike in the task of sensitively bringing the message of the gospel toJewish people they encounter.

The church has been most comfortable with the mission enterprises that allow us tomeet a need in addition to the need for salvation. For example, we go to India andbuild a clinic or hospital which we staff with medical missionaries and nurses. As wetend to the physical needs of the people we seek to tell them about the GreatPhysician who can heal the sickness of the soul. Or maybe we will send ouragricultural specialists to Africa where subsistence farming and drought havewreaked havoc on the population. As we teach them to provide through modernagricultural techniques we hope to sow the precious seed of the gospel. These arefine avenues to travel so long as they lead to the gospel proclamation, which theyvery often do. But what if these avenues are not available? practice a wide variety of viewpoints can be found.23 The last book-length compendium to respond in a fairly comprehensive way to Jewishobjections to the gospel was Williams, A. Lukyn, A Manual of Christian Evidences for JewishPeople (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1919)--nearly 80 years ago!However, the various Jewish missions and umbrella agencies such as the Lausanne Consultationon Jewish Evangelism have produced numerous articles and smaller studies of Christianapologetics for Jewish people.

What does the church have to offer the Jews? Many Christians seek medical helpfrom Jewish physicians. Jewish people don’t need our medical expertise. Christianswho have visited Israel and have seen the way the Jewish people have made theNegev to bloom know that Jews don’t need our agricultural help, either. So what canthe church bring to the Jewish people? The simple, unadorned, life-changing gospelmessage.

This puts Jewish evangelism on the cutting edge of missions. In our seeker sensitiveculture we prefer to offer people those things for which they immediately recognizetheir need. We do not like to risk rejection, and we particularly don’t like to presentthe gospel in the context of dispute. But that is exactly the context within whichJewish evangelism will by definition take place. The best possible Christian responseto Jewish resistance to the gospel is loving confrontation that is willing to risk offense,willing to be vulnerable, willing to give a gentle yet firm answer for the hope that iswithin us.

Finally, the power of prayer works miracles in overcoming Jewish resistance to thegospel. A dear Christian couple prayed for my father’s family every day for 7 yearswithout seeing any openness to the gospel. Suddenly, within a period of 2 weeks myfather and his entire immediate family came to faith in Christ. I am a bit skepticalwhen I hear someone describing miracles coming down as abundantly as rain in thespring, but in 18 years of ministry I am fully convinced that God is still performingmiracles. Paul tells us, “Jews require a sign.” God has been gracious to providethose signs time and time again. I have met too many Jewish people who have beengloriously saved and forever changed by the miraculous power of God to dismisssuch events as merely anecdotal information. The Christian who seeks to be effectivein Jewish evangelism must be willing to pray with an expectation that God willanswer with a miraculous demonstration of His power.

Some miracles are more obvious than others. One person awoke at 3 am, his roomfilled with an orange glow, and whereas he had never been inclined to accept thegospel, he suddenly knew it was true. Fred Wertheim, a survivor of the Holocaust, isnow a Christian because, as he tells it, “Jesus visited him in his home.” Other miraclesare more subtle.

I was handing out gospel tracts in front of Macy’s department store one bright sunnyday in New York City. The big bold four inch letters on my T-shirt proclaimed, “JewsFor Jesus,” A well-dressed woman in her mid to late 60’s approached me and beganto yell, “You should be ashamed of yourself. Do you know what you are doing?Does your mother know you’re doing this?” Then she spat out words that cut like aknife. “You are trying to complete the work that Hitler began.” She rolled up thesleeve of her dress to show me the numbers tattooed on her arm. Ruth is a survivorof Auschwitz. I understood Ruth’s anger but there seemed very little I could say toher at the time.

Weeks later, an older woman walked into the Jews For Jesus Friday eveningchapel service. I recognized her immediately but couldn’t remember where wehad met. After the service I approached her and Ruth reminded me where wehad met. I asked, “So what brings you here tonight?” She replied, “I have anopen mind.” Indeed. Ruth returned week after week and eventually it was myprivilege to pray with her to receive Jesus as her Messiah.

How can someone who is totally opposed to the gospel, so resistant and sohardened, turn and receive God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ? It is simplythis: the same power that raised up Jesus from the grave is at work in the worldtoday. God’s power to save is the only real hope we have of overcominganyone’s resistance to the gospel--Jewish or otherwise. The good news is, God isas mighty to save today as He ever was--and He can cut through any amount ofresistance in the blink of an eye. The question is, will we be conduits for thatsaving power?

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Anti-Semitism

Brown, Michael. Our Hands Are Stained with Blood. Shippensburg, PA: DestinyImage Publishers, 1992.

Parkes, James. The Conflict of the Church and the Synagogue: A Study in the Origins ofAntisemitism . New York: Atheneum, 1981.

Jewish History

Johnson, Paul. A History of the Jews. New York: Harper & Row, 1987.

Sachar, Howard Morley. The Course of Modern Jewish History , Updated andExpanded Edition . New York: Delta, 1977.

The Movement of Jewish Believers in Jesus

Elgvin, Torleif, ed. Israel and Yeshua: festschrift celebrating the tenth anniversary ofCaspari Center for Biblical and Jewish Studies, Jerusalem. Jerusalem: Caspari Centerfor Biblical and Jewish Studies, 1993.

Goble, Phil.Everything You Need to Grow a Messianic Synagogue .South Pasadena:William Carey Library, 1974.

Jocz, Jakob. The Jewish People and Jesus Christ: The Relationship between Church andSynagogue , Third Edition . Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1979; © 1949.

Kjær-Hansen, Kai, ed. Jewish Identity and Faith in Jesus, Jerusalem: Caspari Center,1996.

Riggans, Walter. Yeshua ben David: why do the Jewish people reject Jesus as theirMessiah? Crowborough, UK: MARC, 1995.

Rosen, Moishe. Jews for Jesus. Old Tappan, NJ: Fleming H. Revell, 1974.

Schiffman, Michael, Return of the Remnant: The Rebirth of Messianic Judaism .Baltimore, MD: Lederer Publications, 1992.

Counter-Missionary Books and Responses

Berger, David and Michael Wyschogrod. Jews and “Jewish Christians.” New York:Ktav, 1978. Counter-missionary.

Fruchtenbaum, Arnold G. Jesus was a Jew. Tustin, CA: Ariel Ministries Press, 1974.Messianic Jewish apologetics.

Levine, Samuel. You Take Jesus, I’ll Take God: How to Refute Christian Missionaries.Los Angeles: Hanorah Press, 1980. Counter-missionary.

Singer, Tovia. Let’s Get Biblical [15-tape cassette set]. Monsey, NY: OutreachJudaism, 1995. Counter-missionary.

Troki, Isaac. Faith Strengthened. New York: Ktav, 1970. Counter-missionary.

Williams, A. Lukyn, A Manual of Christian Evidences for Jewish People London:Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1919. Messianic Jewish apologetics(by a Gentile Christian).

Evangelical-Jewish Dialogue

Rudin, A. James and Marvin R. Wilson, eds., Wilson, Marvin R., ed. A Time toSpeak: The Evangelical-Jewish Encounter . Grand Rapids, Eerdmans; Austin, Centerfor Judaic-Christian Studies, 1987.

Tanenbaum, Marc H., Marvin R. Wilson, A. James Rudin, eds., Evangelicals andJews in Conversation on Scripture, Theology, and History . Grand Rapids: Baker BookHouse, 1978.

Tanenbaum, Marc H., Marvin R. Wilson, A. James Rudin, eds., Evangelicals andJews in an Age of Pluralism. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1984.